A Hero In The Making
by Aki-oneesama
Summary: There's not enough characters for my full summary. It will be inside. I would really like you to give it a chance. WARNING: DOES CONTAIN ABUSE AND SEXUAL CONTENT BETWEEN TWO CONSENTING MALE CHARACTERS!
1. Prologue

Summary: Mike is still a new teacher to the high school he once went to and caused havoc on. Then a new student walks in to his class late on the first day of school. What will he do when he realizes he's falling for the student? What about when he finds out the student has an abusive father and an alcoholic mother? Will he go to the police and take away his student's younger sister? Or will he abide by the student's wish to keep it a secret?

I know, long summary. But it's for my actual novel I wrote for .org And it's thanks to two of my friends that I even wrote it. This is an entirely original fiction and is, as of now, incomplete. I would appreciate any feedback on how you think I'm doing though. However, if you just decide to flame me, saying that "it's crap and you shouldn't even be writing" I will simply ignore it. And, if you can't use correct punctuation or enough spelling so I know what you're saying, that will also be ignored. Thank you for your time and patience for joining me on this journey for those that do.

Prologue

The oldest son returned home and started cooking dinner for the night while his sister watched TV. A few minutes later, their father appeared, and without paying attention to them, simply went to the living room and changed the channel. The youngest daughter simply got up without arguing and went to join her brother in the kitchen. Half an hour later their mother came home, drunk, and smiling as she said goodbye to someone at the door. As soon as she entered the living room, the two siblings could hear their parents begin to argue.

The teen looked at his younger sister who was simply by his side, looking at the floor, breathing deeply. She was suffering an anxiety attack. The teen turned off the fire on the stove before he picked her up in his arms, cradling the small child close to him as he carried her to her bedroom. He stayed with her until she was able to calm down and breathe normally again. But once he exited her room into the hallway, to return to cooking dinner, his father was suddenly behind him grabbing his arm violently.

"HOW MANY TIMES SHOULD I TELL YOU! YOU MUST RECEIVE ME AND SHOW RESPECT, YOU UNGRATEFUL CHILD!" he finished shouting with a swift punch to the teen's jaw. He said nothing as he took the beating which left only a few red marks on his skin.

After serving the dinner, he retired to his own room to wait out the night until 3:00 AM. As soon as 3 came along, he opened his bedroom window, and jumped into a near tree. Then, in the garden, grabbed his bike, turned on his MP3 player, and rode away into the night, through the empty streets, going as fast as he could. He wasn't running away, but he needed to calm down and clear his head before he did anything stupid.


	2. Chapter 1

I know it's taken me forever to update. Please, forgive me. I'm still new to uploading stories here… That and I've been really bad about writing more of my story… Anyway, on to chapter 1!

Chapter 1

It was the first day of the new year. Everyone in the high school was talking about how their summer went, laughing, hugging each other, showing pictures, etc. Soon the bell rand and everyone went to their classes to start the new year.

Not too long after one of the younger teachers closed the door to his classroom, a teenager he didn't recognize knocked on the door. He had red hair and pale skin, he was wearing the school uniform, he appeared to be embarrassed about being late to his first class. He quietly, quickly explained how it was his first day in a new city, in a new school…in an entirely new country.

"I'm…s-sorry…" he said, smiling nervously, a French accent clear in his voice. "Can I…come in…please?" He asked, looking at the teacher with his green eyes.

The teacher's eyes widened fractionally at the contrast of the boy's red hair and green eyes, but not enough to be noticeable.

"Of course!" he started warmly, and then softened his voice so only the red haired boy could hear him.

"Would you like to introduce yourself to the class at your desk or in front of the room? Or would you like me to introduce you to the class at your desk or in front of the room?" His voice was still warm towards the student. He didn't mean anything special by his voice being warm, that's just how he was. Cool, calm, and collected; at least during school hours in front of his students. He especially had a soft spot for new kids, knowing all to well what it could be like to be a new kid to a new school not knowing any one or having any friends. But he tried to be equal to each student, well, as equal as each student deserved. He believed in giving the right punishment to whatever student acted out, but that was for another time. Now, there was a new student to introduce.

Armand smiled and walked to stand in the front of the room to proudly introduce himself to the rest of the class, "Good morning. My name is Armand Lacroix, and I'll be your new colleague in here from now on until the end of this year. I'm…sorry I can't speak your language correctly yet, but I hope I'll speak it correctly soon." He finished saying with a smile before looking at his teacher, waiting for him to tell him where he should sit.

"Amy, please raise your hand," the teacher said with a small smile on his face for the boy's brevity. "You can sit in the empty desk next to her." He added gently.

Armand smiled kindly to Amy as he walked over to claim the empty seat next to her. He then proceeded to pull out a notebook with emergency phone numbers and a poorly drawn map to take notes and write down anything important the teacher had to say.

"Now then, as he said, his name is Armand and I want all of you to treat him like you would any other student at this school. Understood?" he asked, getting a slightly serious tone to his voice.

"Yes Mr. Hall," they all said almost in sync. Mr. Hall proceeded to get a smile back on his face at the fact that they understood not to tease or bully the new student.

"Good. Now then, let's continue class. Since it's still the first day of school we'll only be going over the class rules," he paused as a collective groan was heard from all of the students except Armand, "and my expectations of you. Most of you had me last year so you already know, but for those of you that haven't, now you will get to," he finished explaining as he handed out the last sheet of paper with the rules and expectations neatly typed on the piece of paper.

Mr. Hall had seen that Armand had pulled out a notebook to write stuff in but he didn't say anything about it. It was the boy's first day in a new school, much less a new school in a new country. He was sure the boy still needed time to adjust to how things worked here. Whenever he finished handing everyone the sheet of paper, he quickly went over it with the class. He didn't want to take up too much time because he knew how boring this part could get, not only for the students but for him as well. So as soon as he was done going over the rules and answering any questions, the rest of the class was used as a free period to catch up with friends, and for some, to make new friends.

Mr. Hall noticed that, as soon as he was done telling his class about the rules and expectations, Armand had started packing up to leave but not before turning to Amy.

"Nice to meet you… I hope we'll be having a nice year together," he smiled to her before standing up, getting ready to leave.

Mr. Hall looked at Armand with confusion written on his face, he had momentarily forgotten that the boy was from a different country.

"Going somewhere?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

He could see the look of confusion on the boy's face as he replied, "Oh…I thought…we were having the rest of the day free…s-sorry." He ended with a small smile.

Mr. Hall chuckled softly.

"Things work a little differently here than in France," he said with a small smile. "You do have the rest of the period free but unfortunately you have to remain in the classroom. Unless you can give me a valid excuse to be leaving," he said with a small wink and a smile, hinting that Armand would just have to give him an excuse and he could leave the classroom.

He saw Armand look down and blush a bit, apparently thinking of something else other than getting the hint that he could leave.

"Well…I have any, in fact…I'd just like to be in the corridor for a moment, I…must do a call. Is this allowed, sir…?" he asked, smiling once again, his expression returning to one of calmness.

Mr. Hall thought the question over for a moment. Cell phones weren't supposed to be used during school hours, although he didn't care if the students used them during his class as long as they were paying attention to the lesson and weren't being disruptive.

"You can use the phone on my desk or you can go to the closet over in the back of the room and make your call. Don't want any of the teachers in on the fact that I don't mind the students using their phones during class," he said with another wink, trying to ignore the small blush on the boy's face from the first one.

Mr. Hall guessed he wasn't clear enough as Armand said, "Really, thank you sir…" and took his phone out to call a number he couldn't see. Armand was standing next to him as he made the call and he could see that the phone's LCD screen was broken but the phone itself was clearly still working as whoever he had called had answered the phone.

"Nana…?" he asked softly, closing his eyes as he smiled to the phone. "Oh, pardon…I'll call you later…okay, be good. Quoi? For sure," he laughed softly, "Now I must end, Nana, seeya later. Me too." He smiled as he ended the call and returned looking to Mr. Hall, "Thank you again, sir."

Mr. Hall did his best to make it look like he was busy while Armand made his call, which wasn't hard for him to do seeing as he was a teacher and all. He didn't want to make it seem like he was listening in on the conversation even though he really was. He was curious about the boy, there was just something about him that drew him in. For now he decided to pass it off as just being curious about the new student; wanting to get to know him better on a teacher/student scale.

By the time Armand had decided to sit down once again everyone in the class was busy talking with each other so, Mr. Hall noticed, he opened his briefcase once again and took out a folder and a piece of paper which had writing on it to begin with and whatever it was Armand had finished writing for the entire page before opening the folder and reading the other pages. They seemed to be some kind of music sheets.

"Hey, are you playing a musical instrument?" a boy from the class, Jake, asked.

"Yes, the piano…" he replied easily, smiling kindly.

"The electric guitar is much better!" he laughed a reply. "The piano is so dramatic!"

Mr. Hall smiled as he saw Armand was finally talking with some of the other students. After he saw this he did begin reading a bit, but still kept his eye on Armand and all the other students. He didn't think there would be any problems with this class but you never know what could happen. Unfortunately though, he did notice that it wasn't long before Jake lost interest in his conversation with Armand and went back to talking with his friends about how his summer went. He was slightly upset that no one else was interacting with Armand, but unfortunately he couldn't force the kids to interact with them so he would just have to keep his mouth shut and observe quietly. He also noticed how Armand began playing a song on his desk from whatever he wrote down on the paper earlier. It was difficult for him to try and read his book and focus on what was happening in the plot instead of focusing on Armand and wanting to go talk to the boy himself to get to know him better. Mr. Hall finally came to the conclusion to wait until the bell rang, dismissing the students to their next class before he would catch Armand alone for a few seconds to talk to him briefly.

Fortunately the bell rang ten minutes later and Armand seemed to be taking his time getting ready but also trying to hurry so he wouldn't be late to his next class. Only after everyone else was out of the classroom and Armand was getting ready to rush by him did he speak up.

"If you ever need to talk or get away from some people…my third period is my free period. Feel free to come and talk or even just to sit for some company, if you want to of course," he said with a small smile on his face. It didn't show, but he was nervous about basically asking Armand to come visit him. However, he convinced himself it was just him being interested in where Armand came from and why he moved from France, to this small town no less. Yeah. That was it.

Armand smiled to him and agreed, "Thank you so much, sir… I'll be here. There are a lot of new things I don't know and surely this will be fine to me to get ready soon."

Mr. Hall's smile grew slightly as Armand said he would be there.

"I'll be here," he promised softly. "But for now, you should be off to class before you're late." He added as some other students began to enter his class, waiting for the bell to ring once again to signify the start of the next class. Armand smiled and agreed once again before leaving with an elegant grace, avoiding the incoming students and running to his next class.

Mike couldn't help but to be momentarily mesmerized at how elegantly Armand had left his room. It almost reminded him of when his sister would somehow manage to sift through the halls quickly to get to her next class as a teenager. The only difference now though is that he would be picturing Armand's movements for the entire class hour.

This rang true as some of his students from his second period class had asked him if he was okay because he wasn't acting normally; well, the students that had had him as a teacher before asked him anyway. He did have to mentally kick himself though when he heard a soft knock on his door followed by a quiet "Mr. Hall…?" five minutes into third period, because a smile had spread across his face when he realized the voice belonged to none other than the boy who he asked to come visit with him this hour.

'_What the hell is wrong with me? He's what? 16? 17? I'm 24 for crying out loud! And his teacher! I should __not__ be feeling whatever the hell this feeling is!_' Was pretty much how the mental kicking went, but on the outside, aside from the small smile still remaining on his face, he looked as though he normally did. Cool, calm, and collected. His "teacher mask" as he liked to call it.

"Enter. But leave the door open. School policy and all…" he said softly but warmly. No one knew that his "teacher mask" or "act" was just that, an act. No one knew, aside from the principal and the few remaining teachers that were here when he was a teenager, what he was like outside of school. And he planned to keep it that way. He hoped.

No, he wasn't a drug dealer or a street fighter. He didn't do anything illegal. But he liked to keep his personal life a secret from the students…and their parents. You see, "Mr. Hall" was homosexual, more commonly called, "gay." He had "come out of the closet" during his high school years with his best friend when they began going out together. However…they had had a falling out, being so young and all, and any other relationship he had been in since hadn't been serious. But that was another story.

If any of the student's parents were to find out that a homosexual man was teaching their "precious" son or daughter… Let's just say that a lot of threats would be issued as well as him being fired and having to move somewhere else to find another teaching job as a "straight," single, male teacher.

Armand smiled as he entered the room, leaving the door open as he walked over to Mike's side and said, "Thanks for your kindness…everything is confusing here to me…"

"Please, have a seat," Mr. Hall said warmly, a small smile still on his face. "And, don't worry about it. I can understand what it's like to be coming to a new school, maybe not a new country entirely…but a new school at least," he joked lightly.

Armand smiled and grabbed a chair from a side table in the classroom and brought to the side of Mr. Hall's desk, sitting down in it after it was placed.

"But…it's a nice school. I like it's design." he said as he looked around the room really taking it in for the first time since he was there that day.

"It is a nice school isn't it?" Mr. Hall agreed, seeming a little lost in his own thoughts for a couple of minutes.

"Some of the paintings could have been done better though," he admitted out loud, not really meaning to. Only a select few people knew that he liked to draw or sketch in his free time and actually admired famous art. When he realized he had said something that could potentially reveal this his eyes went wide. He really needed to watch himself, his words and actions, around this boy. And he didn't have a clue that Mike was potentially telling him things that others didn't even know about him…

"Well, I guess the students who did that copies of the originals did their best." Armand smiled kindly. "But for an expert eye, it's easy to see the imperfections, although there are minimum. But, it's so beautiful work, anyway."

Mike nodded his head cautiously. Of course Armand was right, he hadn't really thought about that before, just that some of the paintings weren't perfect. And Mike, not only having obsessive compulsive disorder, more commonly known as OCD, but being a perfectionist about certain things as well, well let's just say the two qualities didn't always mix in the best of ways…

"Of course you're right," he said with a small smile back on his face, warmth back in his voice. The same warmth from when he talked to all of his students, or anyone that came to see him during his free time to talk to him about whatever. Sometimes he would act as a counselor of sorts to those students, not that he got paid for it…not that he had a degree for it…not that he cared.

Armand returned the smile with one of his own as Mike thought that it would be good for them to have a good teacher/student relationship, so that if Armand ever needed to talk about something, he would be there for the boy to talk to.

"So, is there anything you need help with, with school? Finding classes? Getting to classes on time? Though you seem to glide through the hallways fairly easily," Mr. Hall teased him lightly, but he was also trying to make light conversation.

"Well…I'd like to know the bus lines, I didn't see any place to place my bike…and I need to know their route. And…I'd like to know about the schedule of this school, until what time can I be here before classes? In the library, studying, I mean…" Armand said, taking Mr. Hall's question about needing help into consideration.

Mr. Hall nodded his head, taking in each question Armand had before thinking over which ones to answer first.

"Unfortunately the library here doesn't actually open until it's time for first period to start, but I do know a library about five minutes from here if you're interested. You can go there after school and study. If you'd like to know where it's at you can meet me here once school lets out, or we could meet up somewhere after we both go home first before I show you where it's at. It's up to you," he paused momentarily before answering the other questions. "As for the bus routes…" he continued and took the time to explain where each bus went and to figure out which bus Armand would ride. Needless to say, this was probably the best "prep period," as it was called, Mike had had in a while. Which was odd because all he really did was help the new student with bus routes, the bell schedule, and had planned to show him where the library was sometime after school today.

"Unfortunately, I can't go today…at least, not immediately we finish the classes. But I can meet you half an hour later, if you don't mind… I don't want to bother you or ruin your own plans, sir." Armand proposed, smiling kindly. He seemed to have no intention of returning immediately to his own house.

"Half an hour later would be just fine. Where would you like to meet up at? Since you're still new around here, I'm not sure what places you do and do not know about yet," Mr. Hall said still smiling, the smile was starting to become more genuine the more he and Armand talked though.

"I have to go to the school which is in front of the square with a big fountain… I think the conservatory is near there. We could meet there?" he had made it a question, obviously unsure if Mr. Hall knew what he was talking about.

Mike smiled kindly to him.

"I know exactly where you're talking about. That would be a fine place to meet," he said, trying not to sound overly happy. He just could _not_ figure out what was up with himself today. '_Maybe a good nights sleep will help things go back to normal again…'_ he thought to himself.

Armand smiled softly and stood up after looking at his clock. The bell rang signaling time for the next class to begin.

"Well… I must go, I'll meet you there!" he said, before running off to head to his next class.

"I'll see you there," he said warmly, watching, once again mesmerized by how Armand walked/ran out of the room. Just what was it about that boy…?

The rest of the classes proceeded much like Mike's first two classes, minus having a new student in each class, seeing as he did not. He went over his rules and expectations and then gave the student the rest of the period to catch up on what they each did that summer.


End file.
